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Jan Bemelmans - Grand Prix Movements INTRO
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Jan Bemelmans works with a very talented Grand Prix pair on the details of riding that make your showing successful. They work through accurate shoulder in and how it helps in the half pass as well as piaffe, passage and single tempi changes.

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In Part 3 of this series, Isabell leads a session with an 8-year-old Hanoverian mare who shows further development toward Grand Prix. This mare shows more self carriage than the previous two horses, and Isabell points out that the rider needs to work to lower the mare's croup. She asks that they move fluently in the trot half pass keeping the flexion. When they go to the canter they show more collection than the first two horse-and-rider pairs. In the canter half pass Isabell requests a longer stride and they move on to the tempi changes, starting with the fours. After a diagonal of threes and then twos, Isabell encourages the rider to try the ones. As the mare is new to this, they only do two steps of the ones at once, helping her build her confidence. Isabell has her demonstrate a pirouette before showing piaffe and passage. She guides her to step quicker in the passage, adding half pass in shoulder in to prepare her for the piaffe. When doing the transition from passage to trot, Isabell reminds the rider to slowly make the transition, allowing the mare to find the rhythm.

Next, Isabell works with a 7-year-old Hanoverian gelding on his way to Grand Prix. He immediately shows a long swinging trot and Isabell encourages the rider to work on quicker steps with flexion. As the rider develops this, they perform the trot half pass, and Isabell points out that as the horse becomes more confident in the connection, bending and flexion, the freedom in his back will increase. Isabell has the rider use shoulder in in walk to help the horse seek more connection, giving when he looks for more stretch. They ask him for more overstep in the walk on a long rein with a more open neck, and then carefully pick up the reins and connection and make sure they have a good walk before picking up the canter. Finding the right amount of jump in the canter becomes a prerequisite before going to the canter half pass and the flying change. After a half pass Isabell has them concentrate on getting the jump back into the canter, and then does single changes on the long diagonal. She explains how important it is to have the jump and flexion before attempting the changes.

After reversing direction they continue with the passage, controlling his straightness and calmness and offering a stretch afterwards. He asks for them to collect in the walk while on long reins before picking him up for more work. In the canter Daniel asks for a half pass to the flying change, half pass the other way to the flying change as an introduction to the canter zig zag. They next show us fantastic four, three, and two tempi changes, keeping him very straight, and then work on the ones. In the ones he has her keep the horse forward without letting the canter get too short. The canter pirouettes are also exemplary, giving a great visual image of what to strive for. After a stretchy trot they work the horse in hand to introduce the piaffe with a rider. With Daniel assisting from the ground they activate the hind legs and produce a beautiful working piaffe.

Catherine Haddad rides her warm up for Grand Prix test. Watch as she runs through her checklist of what she needs to have in her horse to ride the high level movements. She begins with the basics- in front of the leg, moving laterally off the leg, even in both reins, and that she can ride him straight. She talks about what she is looking for in feel and his performance before moving on in the warm up. In the trot Catherine performs little surges off her leg forward and then leg yields. When she takes a walk break she keeps him on the contact and practices the extended walk on the long diagonal. She next goes to canter after explaining that each warm up has to be appropriate for your own horse. She again goes through her checklist- forward off the leg, surges forward, straight. At this point she concentrates on riding her corners and then works on counter canter. She does her first flying change out of the counter canter and also checks that he surges ahead off her leg and that the medium is available. After a walk break they work on canter trot transitions and then moves into a collected trot paying attention to his frame during the transition. On a circle she checks that she can get bigger and more elastic trot each time she does the canter trot transition. For this horse they next ride the trot half passes, but she first asks him to move fully sideways at the walk to prepare for this difficult movement. When they go to the trot half passes she looks for the inside front leg to be particularly expressive. She rides them as more of a leg yield first. Another walk break allows Catherine to explain what other movements she rides in the warm up. She explains that with an experienced horse you are looking to have them loose and responsive back and forward and sideways. With this particular horse she chooses to ride to ride the piaffe and passage because he offers more expression in all his work after schooling them. She checks the trot passage trot transitions and then gives him a final walk break and talks about what she does after finishing the warm up and before she goes into the arena for the test.

Jan Bemelmans teaches this lesson in French, with translation. They begin by working on keeping the horse in front of the leg willingly and with activity in the hindquarters. They show a lovely half pass and continue to work on a responsive collection. Jans talks about how important it is to do the simple things well, and how this will make the rest of the ride work. They continue to school transitions from collected canter to a forward canter with ever increasing responsiveness and quicker transitions. With improved collection they start the tempi changes, beginning with threes. Jan really emphasizes using the corners for collection and going forward in the changes. They work the twos and ones, and then allow him a long and low canter around the ring to stretch.

Daniel Dockx teaches a lesson with a PSG PRE, showing us a normal day of work and their schooling of the piaffe and passage on the way to Grand Prix. They begin by stretching him down with an open neck, and Daniel encourages her to stretch him forward when he curls. In the trot they work on transitions with in the gait, collecting and then going forward without becoming too short. They show shoulder in on a circle and then half pass in the trot, always encouraging an open neck The piaffe is first followed by passage on a circle which he shows quite a talent for.

We join this lesson after the warm up, and Alfredo has the rider performing passage canter passage transitions. This obviously highly educated pair start by showing us collected work, and Alfredo schools them on riding corners. Watch this pair for phenomenal collection into the corner to a quarter pirouette, followed by the half pass in collection. They also work on half pirouettes, and the horse offers a lead change afterwards, so they work on keeping the counter canter in the corners. When they go to the tempi changes, Alfredo first asks for one-ones which provides a bit of a struggle.

Helen Langehanenberg rides a nine year old gelding who is already winning at PSG and I1 and is headed for GP. We join them after their warm up and as they start into the work, beginning with collected work keeping the rhythm while playing with the tempo. During their break they show an outstanding walk before returning to the trot.
Helen asks for more swing off the ground with more expression, keeping a forward tendency in the collection. The trot half passes show the sharper angle of the GP. When asking for the canter she first collects and makes sure he has the correct body position before asking for the depart. The canter half passes flow, and she asks for a rebalancing half halt to prepare for the flying change.
Notice how she rides the corner before doing the steeper half pass required in Grand Prix. Helen rides the fours, threes, two and single changes keeping them uphill and forward.
The canter pirouettes are next with proper preparation and Helen demonstrates how she schools this movement. The session ends with a stretchy trot.

They work through the extended and collected walk with the poll in the correct position for the movement. In the canter he helps the rider with the correct rein length and hand position, reminder her to allow her elbows to move in a circle. In the canter they work on the medium and collected and half pass, adding a flying change. By having her work on her body position he improves his canter. They ride shoulder fore and travers, making sure he moves away from owner left rein. When they add the half pass they also do the single changes, and Nicholas points out that the problem is not the change, It's having the right canter for the change.

Continuing in the canter, Chrissa has the rider do transitions within the gait while keeping the rhythm. She points out that the extended canter should always be available . When they ride the single change Chrissa helps the rider find the right aids to make them clean and where they are intended. In the walk his rhythm can become unclear in anticipation of the piaffe, so she has the rider ride a shoulder fore where he has to reach under himself. The challenge in the trot is to ride the one she wants. The passage is easy for him, so they work on making him quicker instead. After a few steps of passage they trot forward and do a stretchy circle, finding where he is comfortable to stretch. Chrissa reiterates that the goal of the training is to create a happy, balanced horse.